SKeyes Statements | Syria

PEC award 2012 goes to Syrian militants informing the world
June 4, 2012

The Press Emblem Campaign award 2012 for the protection of
journalists goes to Syrian militants informing the world on the continuing
blood bath in Syria since the beginning of the uprising.

The choice by the PEC award committee for the Syrian
militants is to honor their work and relentless efforts to inform the world
about the ongoing massacres against the Syrian people while risking their
lives, physical liquidation, imprisonment and torture. Since March 2011, 35
journalists and net citizens have been killed in Syria.

PEC President Hedayat Abdelnabi stressed that this year’s
PEC award honors the blood sacrifice of the Syrian people and all militant
fighters defending freedom of opinion and expression, journalists, citizen
journalist and the innocent babies and children of Syria killed in the ongoing
battle for the liberation of their nation.

Abdelnabi added that the PEC salutes the work of THE SYRIAN
CENTER FOR MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (SCM), and the plight of its members
all detained since February.

However the Center was attacked and shut down on 16 February
by Syrian authorities, and it seemed unlikely that they could come to Geneva.
The President of the Syrian Democrats Tawfik Chamaa accepted to represent them
in Geneva.

Tawfik Chamaa declared at the press conference
organized by the Swiss Press Club in Geneva that the magnitude of the
catastrophe where Syrians killed are displayed on the roads, corpses of women
and children are under the rubbles of cities and towns destroyed by artillery
attacks, will awaken the world to a very fearful scene, and the carnage of the
Syrian people will mark the 21st century with shame.

Chamaa added that the double standard continues, Libyan oil
mobilised the world to come to the rescue of the Libyan revolt, while the courage
of the Syrian people left the world paralyzed.

PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen noted that the media
situation is Syria is very serious, there is no access to independent
journalists and when it is officially organized media is targeted, imprisoned,
and Syrian journalists are subjected to summary executions.

Lempen adds however all those oppressive efforts by the
regime failed to silence the revolt; information continues to spread thanks to
the gigantic courage of Syrian militants, those whom we are honoring today.

The situation continues to deteriorate with 107 journalists
killed in 2011, others injured, harassed, attacked, and detained during the
unfolding events of the Arab spring in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.

Journalists killed this year at least 65 fell in Syria (15),
Somalia (6), Mexico (6), Pakistan (5), Honduras, Brazil, Philippines, Nigeria
and other countries. This is a record number compared to the same period of
2011 (44). If calculated on an annual basis this figure could rise to 140
journalists if the situation continues.

In the context of violent situations information is a
strategic tool and journalists become its first target.

The PEC will continue its efforts to mobilize governments to
face this global crisis and make sure that the perpetrators of those crimes
against journalists will not escape justice and that the journalists will enjoy
better protection.

Honoring the creation of the PEC on 4 June 2004, the PEC
award goes to an individual or a group that has had an outstanding mark in
defending journalists and freedom of the press worldwide.

The PEC award since its inception in 2009 went to the
militant Palestinian NGO MADA for its role during the Israeli offensive against
Gaza, in 2010 it went to the Center for freedom and media responsibility in the
Philippines following the massacre of 33 journalists, and in 2011 it went to
the militants of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.